One in five people leave their new jobs after only 6 months in the UK according to Karen Tirebuck, managing director of Tirebuck Career Solutions told a recent Seminars for Success meeting at Aston Science Park.

With a recruitment business based in Knowle, and expanding into Birmingham, Karen Tirebuck joined a high profile team of experts to offer advice to local Midlands businesses on key employment issues.

Karen commented: "With changing UK demographics and a shrinking skills market, attracting and retaining the best talent is the key to our long term survival.  Average staff turnover in the UK is 18% and the cost of recruiting stands at an average £7,750 per employee and up to £11,000 for more senior staff – a heavy price to pay for ineffective staff retention policies!

"A key motivator for many people is to ‘really enjoy their job’ and feel fully engaged within their working environment.  This means we all need to encourage positive communication and involvement and have an increased awareness of how staff feel in the workplace."    

Among the other speakers at the event were Dr Waqar Azmi, OBE, former Chief Diversity Advisor to the Government and  Chair of Waterhouse Consulting Group; Ben Thornber, Partner, Martineau  Johnson; Glenn Barrowman, Project Manager, WM ICT Hub; Nicola Turner, Principal Consultant, B’spoke HR; and Matthew Hidderley, Marketing & Sales Manager of Aston Science Park.